Death Game
by PURRcrastination
Summary: By day, a perfect student. By night, a mass murderer named Kira. Light Yagami was never destined to be normal. And then L shows up, a genius detective who wants to catch Kira. Near, L's rival, who is determined to beat him to it. And of course Mello, Light's classmate. It's not easy to keep out of their clutches, but Light will do anything to win. Fem!Light x L x Near x Mello
1. Chapter 1 - Light's Discovery

**DEATH GAME:**

 **Co-Written** **with Yandere Artist**

 **Disclaimer: We do not own Death Note or any of the characters**

 **Edited on October 9, 2017**

* * *

 **Chapter 1 - Light's Discovery**

* * *

" _Being ignorant is a bliss. And being genius, is a curse."_

* * *

Light always got what she wanted. No, she wasn't spoiled. But rather, way too clever for her own good. Opportunities threw themselves at her. And when, in the rare occasion, they didn't, she would twist the world around her so they did.

Smart, popular, beautiful, ambitious, sporty- Light had it all. She was the definition of perfect.

But, like all perfect people, she expected the world around her to be just as good as her. She no longer desired to live in a twisted, corrupted, evil, world. A world where criminals went unpunished.

And as stated earlier, Light always got what she wanted. So if the world refused to change, she would force it to.

I _struggled to climb to the top of my school, only to realize, once at the summit, that I'm the only one to have gotten so far. There is only room for one._

 _Boredom. Loneliness. Desire for a change- I feel them every day during class._

 _But no. I can't let it show. The right way to act is to smile, be humble, offer help, nod encouragingly._

 _Even if I'm dying on the inside._

 _Good thing I can, at least, have a few crime cases to solve once I get home._

A smile tugged at Light's lips.

 _And my parents all wonder why I don't ever hang out with my friends. Pfft. I'm popular._

 _But-_

 _I have no friends._

"Light! You realize the bell just rang, right?" Sakura rushed up to Light's desk and waved her hands wildly.

Light flinched, then regained her composure before standing up. "Sorry, I was just... thinking about something."

"Ooh, mysterious, just like Mello!" She giggled as they walked to their lockers.

Right. Mello, the guy from the other class, was her main rival in academics.

"By the way, Emiko and I were wondering if you would like to come to the mall with us. You know, they're selling new Hideki Ryuga posters. Ahh, he's so kawaii!" She squealed.

Hideki Ryuga? The pop idol her little sister was interested in? No way would she ever be stupid enough to waste time on something like that. She forced a pretty smile.

"Sorry, Sakura. I'm a bit busy right now, but maybe we can grab coffee together sometime soon," Light said, as she carefully conveyed just the right amount of regret in her tone. She made her eyes crinkle a bit more, to seem slightly more sincere.

Her classmate bought the act. Like always. They cheerfully consolidated her and left the classroom towards a nearby mall, while Light headed in the opposite direction towards her home. Light immediately dropped her fake expression, and took on a calm smile- her standard expression.

That way, if anyone looked at her, they would see a happy innocent schoolgirl. Hopefully not an indifferent individual, beyond disappointed with the world.

She hummed a slow tune to herself, and purposely skipped in a cute attention-catching way, but stopped short when she stepped on a small black object.

A notebook?

Normally she wouldn't have picked it up. But it was on school grounds, so maybe someone dropped it. She could give it back to it's owner, and maybe gain their favour. She carefully picked it up with her index finger and thumb, and flipped it over.

"Death Note" was scrawled on the front cover of the notebook, in a unique handwriting she had never seen before. Light frowned, was this some new kind of marketing theme that the big companies had come up with? Honestly, it was really cheesy and wasn't even that believable. She flipped to the first page, to see if anyone's name was written inside. But instead, she saw some kind of rule, written in what seemed like white chalk.

The human whose name is written in this note shall die…

She groaned internally. What loser would be into gags like this? She continued to read, but only saw more instructions.

This note will not take effect unless the writer has the person's face in their mind when writing…

The gag was surprisingly elaborate. Light brushed her fingers across the front cover of the notebook.

"What's that?" A voice suddenly interrupted her thoughts, followed by loud crunching noises.

She didn't have to turn around to guess who it was. Mello and his chocolate bar. '

The tall blond leaned over her shoulder, in an attempt to catch a glimpse of what she was holding in her hands.

"Just some study notes," she calmly replied as she stuck the notebook into her bag and stood up, making sure to take a few steps backwards for space between her and Mello.

"Oh, really? Can I see them?" Mello raised his eyebrows. Light internally groaned. Dammit, why couldn't Mello just accept her lies like all the other students?

Light turned around to face the blond, improvising on the spot. One of the main features that defined Mello was his belief that he was better than everyone else and that to admit to needing help was a weakness. "Sure! But I don't think you really need to rely on my study notes to score higher than me… do you?"

Mello glared at her, "Whatever, of course I don't. Go back to studying or something" he said. Shrugging, he took another bite of chocolate and walked away with a haughty turn on his heels.

Light knew he hated her for being smarter. She sighed, why couldn't he just be more mature and let go of their so-called "rivalry". It was obvious she was better. Anyhow, she found his competitive attitude amusingly adorable.

Laughing to herself, she started to walk home.

But not without reminding herself to test the notebook's powers once she got back to her room.


	2. Chapter 2 - The Broadcast

**DEATH GAME:**

 **Co-Written** **with Yandere Artist**

 **Disclaimer: We do not own Death Note or any of the characters**

 **Edited on October 9, 2017**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Hacked Broadcasts**

* * *

" _She's the best, but she still makes mistakes. Why? Because she's human, and not a god."_

* * *

 _A bloodcurdling scream was let out, as I checked my watch. 40 seconds, on the dot._

 _The man -L's puppet- laid limply on the floor, his eyes glassy as medics rushed in, carrying a stretcher which they rolled him into._

 _258_

 _I've ridded the world of 258 undeserving people in the past week- no wait, it's 259 now. The world is slowly becoming a better place._

Light smiled and crossed her arms under her head, as she leaned dangerously far back on the hind legs of her chair. L was sure interesting.

 _What are you trying to do, L? What are you trying to show the world? Because all you're doing now, is giving me a chance to demonstrate what will happen to traitors of justice._

 _Show yourself, L_

The TV changed, where it had previously shown an almost interview-like set up, a menacing black 'L' flickered on to the screen, written in an old-fashioned, almost gothic-like font.

"Kira is located in the Kanto region."

Light's eyes widened slightly, anyone who didn't know her well probably wouldn't have noticed. L was better than she had previously thought. She had to give him some credit, as far as she had deduced, L was only trying to figure out if she really could kill without any contact. But, who would've thought he was also trying to figure out her location, at the same time? She hadn't calculated that possibility, or ever wanted him to narrow down the search that much. It made her slightly uncomfortable that she hadn't planned, hadn't expected this to happen.

An unknown variable, huh. This just made it all the more thrilling. Her earlier uneasiness vanished, replaced by the tug of a small smile on her lips.

 _Fun_.

But she had to act fast now, it wouldn't be in her interest if the general public received so much information.

Casting a quick glance at her TV screen to confirm the station name, Light opened a new program on her computer and started typing furiously, she had disable all the firewalls. Now.

Sayu was shopping for the Hideki Ryuga posters at the mall, her mother had gone with her, and her father was at work and wasn't due to arrive until about 9 PM. Plus, she had locked her door, in case any of them were to come back early. Perfect.

Untangling an old microphone from the basket of electronics under her desk, Light quickly set it up so that it could receive her voice. She made sure to connect it with a voice scrambling program she created a few years ago. Smirking, the brown haired girl decided to mock L by writing the words 'Kira' in the exact same font that he had used. She was ready.

Hacking through the last few walls, Light paused for a few seconds. There were already other foreign lines of code that didn't seem to belong. Was someone else trying to hack into the program too? Whatever, it didn't hinder her. Light connected her computer to the TV channel's mainframe, right on time. L was just wrapping up his speech and probably preparing to log off the TV channel.

 _Not so fast. I'm not going down without a challenge_.

She would soon be allowed to start live streaming around the Kanto region. Light grinned, as she pressed the command button. She leaned in closer to the microphone on her desk, making sure that it would pick up every word she spoke.

"I am Kira."

Glancing back at the TV, she saw her title flickering on the screen. K-I-R-A.

 _Success_.

"Good afternoon, Japan." She said slowly, pleased that the voice scrambler warbled her voice so much that she almost sounded like a male.

"L has no idea who I am, and what I truly stand for. Please do not misunderstand me, I do not need to, nor do I wish to, kill innocent civilians. The only ones I will rid the world of, are criminals, and those who try and fight against justice." There. Now she had hopefully reassured everyone and painted L in a negative light.

"I will this world a better place. I am not a murderer. I am god of the new world. I am justice. And I-"

"Lies." A static buzz interrupted Light. She scowled, was it L again? Damn it, hadn't she already blocked him out of the system?

"You are nothing but an insecure mental murderer. And you're committing an atrocious act, disguised as justice, but in the end, only plain evil ." The voice calmly said. Light gritted her teeth in annoyance.

Light glanced in annoyance back at the TV, prepared to hack into the mainframe again. But instead of the 'L' she had expected to see, a glaring 'N' was covering the screen.

Was this some kind of sick joke? She growled. Dammit. Another unknown variable.

She started to type furiously again, clicking away at her keyboard. And soon enough, recovered control of the live broadcast. Light flickered away the 'N' logo, and replaced the screen her own 'Kira' one again.

"Hey there, **_N_** ewcomer" she hissed into her microphone, failing to attain the level of calmness the interrupter possessed.

"Hello," the voice returned, still in the same monotonous style.

 _Damn, his voice gives no hints at all._

"What are your intentions, hmm? And what incentives do you have?" she questioned.

"I intend to find, and destroy you. As for incentives, it's as clear as day. You're killing people, and in no way is that ever justice."

"Justice says that they deserve to die."

"But you're killing people too, you deserve to die."

"Woah there buddy, I'm killing with the right incentive! I want to rid the world of evil." Light took a deep breath. She mustn't get too fired up.

A chuckle came from the other side. "Is that so? Then I'm entitled to find and kill you too. In fact, it's kind of funny how we have the exact same incentive."

Light bit her lips to keep herself from shouting death threats to the other side.

"Have fun failing, then. Justice will always prevail," She said after a deep breath.

"I don't intend to. And yes, agreed. Justice will prevail, as it's on my side." The voice took a pause. "And L, if you're watching this, you know who I am. I intend to beat you to the case."

Only a week, and already 2 detectives on her trail?

"Who are you, Amigo?" Light growled, though she kept a pleasant tone in her voice.

Damn this annoyingly calm Newcomer.

She didn't care if she was was admitting a weakness by asking him.

"My…"

The voice started to respond.

"Name… "

Light leaned in closer to the TV.

"Is… "

She listened anticipatively.

"Ne-

Suddenly, an all too familiar voice, interrupted. Her plan was ruined for the second time of the day. Dammit.

"No. A better question is; who are you, Kira?" It was L again. Shoot.

Light wanted to slap herself. How could she have forgotten about him? After all, she had only written a short code, to try and block him out. No way would it have ever had a chance to keep someone of his intellect out for more than a minute.

So he was listening the entire time, waiting for the perfect moment to cut in.

Mr. Great Detective was back. How amusing was the situation? She was chatting in an almost -dare she say it- friendly manner. And with the two people who probably have the highest chance of catching her.

This time, Light actually did let out a chuckle.

"Wouldn't you like to know, L? I'm afraid I'd rather not disclose that information. It's rather… personal" she leaned closer to the mic and whispered.

But there was a deeper meaning, something only the two of them would be able to find; _You want to find out, huh? Well, the challenge is on._

"Oh, that's a shame I suppose. But I'll be the first to know if you ever decide to tell anyone?" L answered. _I will discover who you are, Kira. And I will be the first to find you._

L was playing her game now. Light smirked.

But this time, 'N' chose to speak up. He finally discarded his calm monotonous voice, and replaced it with a childish -almost whiny- one.

"But Kira, I thought that we were friends, not L. Shouldn't I be the first to receive this information?" _Make no mistake Kira, I, not L, will find you first._

"Ah, a nice competition of uncovering each other's identities? Fun. Well, good luck! Justice will win." Light signed off the TV with a click.

She instantly turned to her keyboard, to start working on anti-track codes in order to prevent unwanted tracings.

"Invitation accepted. But just so you know, I'm not mature enough to play nice. I must admit, I really hate losing, I'm only human" L said, and signed off the TV as well, leaving only 'N' on.

"Well, I wouldn't want to be left out. Count me in. Oh, and one last thing if you're still here, Kira; _I am Near._ " The voice announced before taking his logo off the screen as well.

This left the TV screen pitch black, with the faint confused voices of producers scrambling around in the background.

Light sighed happily in her bed, in the end the TV had broadcast had gone well. Perhaps life wouldn't be so boring from now on, after all. After all, she had two new friends to play with!

 _Ping._

A phone notification rang on Light's desk. Her blood ran cold. Had she already been found out? Impossible. She hadn't left any traces that even the most experienced hacker could find. She flipped out of bed and grabbed her smartphone, fingers fumbling to type in her passcode and open up the message.

 **From Mello:**

 **Hey, u saw the broadcast right?**

Light sighed in relief, it was just Mello. Well, there wouldn't be any point in denying it.

 **From Light:**

 **Yeah**

After a few seconds, another text popped out.

 **From Mello:**

 **Aren't u curious who the Kira person is? I can't believe Near is actually trying to find him. Near. Lol**

 **From Light:**

 **Ofc I'm curious. But what about Near?**

 **From Mello:**

 **Pfft strange weird antisocial dude I knew back when I was still in America. That was like a decade ago tho**

 **From Light:**

 **What?**

 **From Mello:**

 **Not the point. So aren't u gonna try and find who the Kira person is? Ur dad's leading the police force right? And u said u used to help him out with cases**

 **From Light:**

 **Idk probs. But I might not have that much time cuz college exams**

 **From Mello:**

 **Ha! U study for those? I'm gonna spend all my free time trying to catch Kira. It's fun and plus, Near is on his trail. Why shouldn't I be?**

No. This was bad. Very bad. Mello might have always ranked second to her in academics, but he was by no means stupid, and even worse, he'd seen her Death Note on the day she found it.

 **From Light:**

 **…. Have fun?**

 **From Mello:**

 **I will XD**

Light turned off the phone with a push of her finger, watching the screen turn black in a way reminiscent to how the screen had turned black after the hacked broadcast. It was a dangerous game consisting of her, L, Near, and Mello.

 _It was a game of death_.

"And let that game begin!"

She could almost imagine the rest of them shouting invitations of challenges.

She smiled-

Challenge accepted.

 _The Game of Death has begun._


	3. Chapter 3 - Fake

**DEATH GAME:**

 **Co-Written** **with Yandere Artist**

 **Disclaimer: We do not own Death Note or any of the characters**

 **Edited on October 9, 2017**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Fake**

* * *

 _"Enemies are your friends. Rivalry never ends."_

* * *

Light sighed as she made her way to the Fruits Section, in the local supermarket. It must've been at least the fifth time of the week. What was it with Ryuk and his addiction to apples, anyways?

"That one looks good, Light-o!" He shrieked in excitement, as he pointed at a particularly juicy basket of fruit.

Light made extra sure to ignore him, as she calmly made her way to the basket.

"Ooh, interesting… very interesting. And how creepy," Ryuk mused.

Light willed herself to not slap Ryuk. She knew he saw more than her. He didn't have to make a point of it every time.

"Looks like someone's tailing you, huh? Aren't you the Miss Popular?" He continued in a mocking tone.

Light scowled at the shinigami, and looked around to make sure no one was watching.

"Who is it?" she whispered, lips barely moving.

"Can't tell you." Ryuk laughed with glee.

Light, in silent response, returned the basket of apples onto its shelf.

"Oh, fine. You're a smart one." Ryuk gave a sigh of defeat. "I'll be back in a second."

He flew out around the corner, and circled a few times over the neatly dressed man in a black and gray suit. Light forced herself to not look back, despite her curiosities. Her stalker mustn't find out she was aware of his presence.

Ryuk came back a few minutes later. "He's some FBI dude. Light-o, whatcha gonna do?"

Light frowned. A member of the FBI in Japan? This couldn't be a coincidence. The agent must've been sent to investigate her, under the orders of L or Near. The both of them seemed to have some sort of power over all the detective agencies in the world. But, just how did they narrow the suspect list all the way down to her? Damn it! Or maybe there were more than one agent in Japan?

"Ryuk?" Light whispered to the shinigami behind her, as she pretended to keep looking through the different varieties of apples.

"Uh-huh?" Ryuk drawled distractedly.

"Let's make a deal."

"Light-o? I thought you said you weren't gonna make the eye trade because you wanted to reign over the new world and be god for a long time. Or something like that. Well, alright then. I told ya I'm always open-"

"Not that trade. Another one," Light interrupted through gritted teeth.

"Hmm, okay. That sounds interesting, what is it?"

Light turned to face the shinigami completely, having made her way far enough into the supermarket that the FBI agent wouldn't be able to see her from his angle.

"I want you to go and fly about, and do your shinigami magic or whatever, to figure out who sent that FBI agent after me. It has to be either L or Near. I'm quite sure that's within the bounds of your set of rules." She told Ryuk, watching as he tilted his head at her.

"I can do that, but what's in it for me?" He chuckled.

Light glared at him.

"In return I will not ban you from eating apples."

Ryuk gasped, his eyes wide.

"Light-o! That doesn't sound like a trade! What you're doing is blackmail! Plus, don't you know what will happen if I go into an apple withdrawal?!"

He started doing a handstand, his single heart earring wildly swinging as he made funny motions with his legs.

"I'm going to start shaking! And then my skin will shrivel up! And my body will turn blue! And my head will start ticking from side to side like a grandfather clock! I thought we were room-mates! How could you do this to me?!"

Light sighed, unamused by the shinigami's antics at the moment. Right now, her top priority was finding out who had sent the FBI agent, and she had to make sure that the agent in question, didn't suspect her in the slightest.

"Your skin's already shrivelled and blue, and if your head was to start moving from side to side like a clock, it would actually be quite useful, granted that it was on sync to Japanese time, of course. I can't just talk to you in public! Hurry up and go. Now. Or your apples are gone."

The apple-addicted shinigami dragged himself away, and slouched over so much that his head was almost touching the ground. He was whispering something about "'Light-o being a bully to poor Ryuk' and how 'she would understand if she'd ever experienced the pains of apple deprivation'.

Light laughed to herself. Ryuk would soon tell her whether it was Near or L's doings, and she could finally devise a plan to get rid of them.

Two nights later, Ryuk flew in through the window -that was funnily enough shut- with a piece of paper grasped in his long hands.

"Before I tell you anything, you have to promise not to threaten me with apples again," Ryuk said.

"Sure, if you give me the name of the person who was behind this," Light replied.

"Not the real name, though, that's illegal for me, and there's no way around it. I'm not allowed to tell you anyone's true name no matter how it's communicated. All I got on here is the name that the people around him call him. Just his alias." Ryuk warned.

"Yeah, that's what I'm talking about."

"Here." He grumbled, giving the scrap to Light.

"I'm not actually allowed to tell you much information. But the rules said nothing about writing, so I guess I'm fine. It took way too long, but I figured out who sent the agent, and then who ordered the person who sent the agent, to send the agent, and finally who ordered that person, who ordered the person who sent the agent, to send the agent." He took a deep breath. "Basically the person at the top of the order."

Ryuk then started to crawl under Light's bed, looking for apples.

Light raised an eyebrow, unfolding and smoothing out the paper with deft fingers, before reading the single word written on it.

 _Near_

She almost laughed, of course it was him! She knew from her father, that L was cooperating with the Japanese police department. Near, being less familiar with Japan, refused to be left out and contacted the American FBI.

 _Now I know where to start. I don't know much about L, but Mello can be a valuable resource for me to get to know Near better._

Light smiled genuinely at Ryuk. Well, at least as close to genuine as she had ever smiled in the past month.

"Thanks Ryuk," she said, tossing him a well deserved apple.

"You're welcome, Light-o," he replied, grinning as he almost swallowed the apple whole, having been deprived for so long.

I can definitely work with this. Now I just have to figure out how to deal with the FBI agent.

Crossing her arms behind her head and leaning back, Light sighed, deep in thought.

The easiest way, would be to get the FBI agent's name, of course. But that on the other hand, it would lead to extra suspicion. Another better possibility, was to simply convince him that she was absolutely not Kira- she could probably do it.

Light frowned. Proving her innocence was the best way to go, at the moment. But not knowing his name made her uneasy. Where was the backup? She had to be able to kill him, if something were to go wrong.

 _Oh well, getting his name is too risky at the moment, so I suppose I will just have to clear any doubts he might have._

Light pondered for a few minutes. The FBI agent was looking for suspicious behaviours and activities. Therefore, the best way to get out of her given situation was to act as normal as possible. This time, she had to play the role of a normal girl teenager.

So she had to go to the cafe, shop for Hideki Ryuga posters, and spend time gushing over over how cute guys were.

 _Absolutely revolting. And a waste of my time_.

No. She had to do it, or else she might raise suspicion.

 _And lose the game. . ._

But, was there a way she could pretend to be a stupid teen, without completely being useless? There had to be a way.

 _The must be a way. There always is. So what is it?_

 _Ping Ping_

Her phone buzzed again. She opened up the messages. It wasn't like she had anything else to do anyways.

 **From Mello:**

 **U sure u don't have any insights about the Kira thing?**

 **From Mello:**

 **But ur dad is the chief… he must've told u something**

 **From Mello:**

 **Oh come on**

 **From Mello:**

 **Fine, I see how it is. U wanna go against me or something? Ur trying to secretly find out who Kira is too right? Y don't u just tell me?**

A thought instantly clicked in Light's head.

 _Perfect_.

Mello, could tell her his thoughts on the identity of Kira. That way, she could always know whether or not he was on the right track. She could always be a step ahead of him.

So she had to meet up with him, and have a deep discussion on the case.

And during that meeting, they could pretend to be on some kind of date. That would, for sure, reduce the FBI agent's suspicion.

Two birds down in one shot. She smiled. She liked that plan;

 _Get Mello to go on a date with me, and during that date, discuss - amongst a variety of typical topics- the Kira case._

 _Haha. I'm going to put on a nice little show for you, Near. And Mello, will be my puppet._

 **From Light:**

 **Lol I told u already I'm not gonna spend much effort on the Kira case**

 **From Mello:**

 **How unusual of you… If I'm correct, u normally jump at a chance like this**

 **From Mello:**

 **May I ask why not this time?**

 **From Light:**

 **Omg I said it. I'm studying for the exams**

 **From Mello:**

 **Too bad :(**

 **From Mello:**

 **I thought it was us against Near XD**

 **From Light:**

 **I don't even know who Near is lol**

 **From Mello:**

 **Whatever. Doesn't matter. Fine bye**

Light's finger hovered above the keyboard. She mustn't sound too desperate, or else Mello would suspect something. It was supposed to be him begging for her help, after all.

 **From Light:**

 **Doesn't mean I can't help u a bit tho**

A few seconds later, Mello sent a response.

 **From Mello:**

 **What's the catch?**

Good. He was smart, he obviously knew she wanted something.

 **From Light:**

 **Uhh well it's a bit awkward**

 **From Light:**

 **Nvm forget it lmao**

She smirked to herself. Psychological tricks always worked.

 **From Mello:**

 **Ugh just. Tell. Me.**

 **From Light:**

 **Can we meet up to discuss the case? Like person to person**

 **From Mello:**

 **What**

 **From Mello:**

 **That completely contradicts your point earlier. U said u had no time?**

 **From Light:**

 **No. Meet up as in go on a date**

Light smiled, as she watched Mello struggling to type something. Amusing.

 **From Mello:**

 **Excuse me?**

 **From Light:**

 **We discuss the Kira case while on a fake date. So u pretend to be my bf**

 **From Mello:**

 **Tf do u want**

 **From Light:**

 **It's complicated I'll explain later**

 **From Mello:**

 **No. Explain now.**

 **From Light:**

 **I don't have time! Plz call me now, pretend to be my bf, ask me on a date. RIGHT NOW. Or else I can't discuss ANYTHING with you! It's now or never deal's gonna be off in like 5 seconds omg call CALL**

 **From Light:**

 **Talk like we're a couple, and ask me out for bubble tea tmr at 2:15 ASAP BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!!! Be convincing plz plz rn**

Light held back a laughter. She probably alarmed poor Mello. But there was no time to waste. Light walked outside of her house, and made a useless trip down to the park. She was sure the agent followed. Good, he had to hear the call or else it would be rendered useless.

A few minutes passed, and her ringtone started to play loudly.

Perfect.

She looked at the caller ID, and smiled brightly. She picked it up, pretending to be excited.

"Umm… Mello." She pretended to blush a bit. "I thought you were busy today."

"I'm… never too busy for you, friend. I mean, girlfriend." Light could distinctly hear his snort in the background, and a crunch of his chocolate bar.

What in the world? Light gritted her teeth. He wasn't following the plan at all! He was doing this on purpose. How could he not realize, this wasn't a joke?! Light was sure the FBI agent was secretly listening to her call with some sort of device. She had to find a way to subtly tell him to act better. Or else--

 _Game over_.

"Really? Aww, thanks Mello! I know we only started dating last week, but you're making a cute effort! We sound so official!" She gushed in a cutesy voice. "I'm so so happy!"

There was silence on the other end. Guess Mello wasn't used to her acting that way. Oh, well. So Light continued.

"I was just watching k-drama. You know, I'm really into korean stuff right now. Those guys are so cute, and good at acting too! But you know, if it weren't for that, I wouldn't really be watching it at all!"

 _You'd better a_ _ct better, sound cuter, or else don't even think about me returning the favour_.

"Really? Pfft, those pretty boys? Forget them. I… only want you to think of me, okay?"

Light laughed. The FBI agent probably thought it was out of pure bliss. But really, she was only too amused. Mello was actually trying to sound jealous. She could only imagine how much he was willing to give, to get the information on Kira.

"Oh, Mello…" She trailed off, like a sighing desperate in-love teenager. "So… how is it?"

She silently urged him to bring up the date.

"Listen, I'm sorry Light, I really haven't been spending time with you-"

"I love you!" She interrupted, smiling from head-to-toe. He caught the hint. And to be completely honest, she did love him, at the moment. He hadn't completely failed her! She really never imagined her image to be in the hands of her academic rival.

"Huh? Oh, no problem." A pause, and another crunch on the chocolate bar. "I mean, I love you too."

"Haha, yes! But you don't have to sound so awkward when you compliment me," Light said lightly. "So what did you call me for?"

"Can't I just call for no reason?" He asked. Light could almost laugh. It was perfect. He was on point.

"Well, the Mello I know wouldn't do that. For every action, a purpose!" She said energetically. Obviously, she had to appear to know him well.

"Fine fine, you know me the best. I was just wondering; Do you have time tomorrow? I miss you," he said.

"Ooh, is the great Mello gonna ask me out on a date?" She teased.

"... no? I mean, I know I'm great. But don't, ahh, assume things. I just wanted to know if we could, uhh, drink bubble tea at the same place at the same time."

Wow. He was now going beyond expectations. He couldn't be more realistic than this. Faking embarrassment. Exceptional.

"Hehe," she gave a cute laugh. "When?"

"2:15, at the bubble tea place a few blocks away from the school" Mello replied.

"Of course! We haven't talked in forever! Mello, I can't wait to see you. Mwah!" She blew a kiss. "Don't be late again! You always are. I swear, you're gonna pay five times in a row after this, for all our next dates!"

"Oh? I wouldn't mind that… Maybe I'll just be late on purpose." Light could almost imagine him smiling in amusement behind the phone. Being fake was fun, wasn't it?

"I bought more chocolate bars, cause I knew u were gonna say that!"

Near had ordered this FBI agent to investigate her. And Near knew Mello. All she had to do now was make sure that Near knew who she was talking to, once he found out it was Mello he would turn his attention off of her and onto the blond boy. And probably the singular, most important thing, that would alert Near to the fact that this was Mello, was chocolate bars.

"Okay, fine. You win, haha." Mello faked a perfect laugh.

Wow, he was putting in effort. He really did want a lead on Kira before Near.

"Okie! I'll see you on Saturday then! 'Till then! Bye Mello~!"

Light shut her phone with a click, a malicious smile on her face that she was sure the FBI agent couldn't see.

 **From Light:**

 **Delete all the convo, or else I'll find out and not show up**

For now, her extra security on her phone would keep the agent from reading her texts, but she had to remove it soon or it would be suspicious. Most high schoolers didn't have national level security protecting even the simplest of smartphone files.

 **From Mello:**

 **K but u owe me an explanation**

 **From Light:**

 **Fine. My parents r bugging me to go act like a normal student etc. Especially my dad**

 **From Light:**

 **He threatened to not tell me anything about the case until I went on a date or something like that**

 **From Mello:**

 **Makes no sense. Thought u weren't interested in the Kira case**

 **From Light:**

 **I'm not gonna spend time on it. Doesn't mean I'm not curious**

 **From Light:**

 **Delete all the messages we've sent to each other. If u don't I will find up and not show up. And start sending messages on here as my bf or whatever**

 **From Light:**

 **If u wanna actually contact me, I'm gonna give u another phone number tmr**

 **From Mello:**

 **You're going so far on this…**

 **From Mello:**

 **Is there something u aren't telling me?**

Well, obviously Mello would suspect something. Light reminded herself to elaborate on her lies next time to make it sound more convincing.

 **From Light:**

 **Nah tell u details later. For now delete it**

Near would definitely hear about her conversation with Mello, and she was sure he would be able to put two and two together. He would turn his attention onto the blond-haired boy who was, coincidently, also searching for Kira, and forget all about her in the process. After all, she was nothing but an average student, wasn't she?

 _Until Saturday then..._

 _Check._

 _If you're not careful, you'll lose track of me._

 _It's your move now Near, what are you going to do?_


	4. Chapter 4 - Web of Lies

**DEATH** **GAME:**

 **Co-Written** **with Yandere Artist**

 **Disclaimer: We do not own Death Note or any of the characters**

 **Edited on October 9, 2017**

* * *

 **Chapter 4 - Web of Lies**

* * *

 _"A perfect plan is a miracle. And we know miracles don't exist._ "

* * *

Light took a deep breath as she smoothed out her rumpled skirt and took a seat at one of the bubble tea's shop many booths. Checking her watch for the time, she sat stiffly on the edge of her plush couch, her back straight and her hands held clenched in her lap.

 **From Mello:**

 **Hey! Almost there!**

 **From Mello:**

Light smiled to herself as she checked the earlier texts from Mello. She asked him to send her "lovey-dovey" texts in case the FBI or anyone got ahold of her phone. And he, desperately wanting her insights and private information on the Kira case, and deducing that he had nothing to lose, had agreed.

 _2:14_

Light pretended to do, what so many other girls who came early on dates did. She hadn't spent time observing people on dates from a distance for no reason. She checked her glossy pink nail polish, tapped around on her phone, and smoothed her white dress.

It was the first time she had worn a dress in years, pairing it with earrings and a matching necklace. She internally hoped Mello would at least make a decent effort to not dress in the weird gang-ish style he normally did.

Light knew she was in disguise as a normal girl. But the word normal kind of bothered her. No, she wasn't a stupid teenager on a date. She was a god, a goddess, who was going to bring the world to justice. She was going to defeat the FBI and outwit two top detectives in the world. Yes, that was her. She nodded to herself.

 _Of course I'm not normal. I never was. I never will be. In fact, I'm the opposite. I'm the only person who will individually carry the weight and responsibility of making this world a better place._

Light brushed her hands over her styled hair and checked her watch again. It was almost time.

 _5 seconds left… 4… 3… 2… 1-_

The door to the small shop swung open with a warm gust of spring air. A blond haired boy wearing a black hoodie and jeans entered through the doorway, munching a chocolate bar. He scanned the place to find her.

 _Mello's exactly on time. I expected nothing less. Everything's going fine so far, Mello is predictable._

Light smiled, and waved her hand from the corner of the bubble tea store. Mello nodded and made his way to the booth.

The spot she had chosen was perfect. The FBI agent had a clear view of them from the window, but if he didn't enter himself, he wouldn't be able to hear their conversation. Light assumed the agent wouldn't. If he did, it would be beyond obvious.

"So, you're all dolled up for this, huh?" Mello smirked.

"Hey, aren't you going to say something nice?" Light pouted. "I dolled up for you."

"Oh, really? I guess I am that great." Mello took another crunch on his chocolate bar and looked up. "You know, you do look kinda cute."

"Kinda?"

 _How far is Mello willing to go, for the sake of the Kira case? I need to see…_

"Stop testing me on how much I want to catch Kira. I bought you a phone, that should say enough," Mello whispered to her under his breath. "Unless you want me to stop cooperating, quit with the unnecessary romantic sappy stuff, and let's hurry up and order."

Light pretended to grit her teeth. Mello needed to think that he had the upper hand by being able to expose that they were pretending to be something they weren't. Subconsciously, Light knew that Mello thought he was better than her, and so every time she scored higher he just couldn't understand it. Now, she just had to help his subconscious thoughts rise a little. How simple.

"Alright, but one step out, and you're done for. Do you understand?" She muttered softly, while smiling.

He subtly nodded, and turned his head up again- act switching on. "What are you saying? Of course I care. Aw, let me at least keep my ego."

 _Mello isn't a bad actor when he wants to succeed._

"Hmph, you and your stupid ego, Mello. Well, you're paying, so order whatever you want," she turned her nose up, in a joking manner.

Mello sighed, pretending to pat the wallet in the pocket of his jeans, as if he was already mourning the loss of it's contents.

"I guess I can splurge once in awhile. I'll have the chocolate flavoured milk tea with tapioca and red bean. What are you having?"

"Aww, Mello! But you always order chocolate milk tea. Can't we try something new together?"

To be honest, Light had absolutely no idea what he usually ordered. But to be on the safe side, in case anyone close by them was secretly working for Near or L, she had to pretend she knew all of Mello's little quirks. Scanning their surroundings she singled out all the people who were in hearing range, and all the people that looked suspicious -a common mistake criminals made, was that they only checked to see if someone was within a few meters of them, they completely neglected the fact that there was so many pieces of technology that could completely turn the tables. Wires. Bugs. Amplifiers. The list went on and on.

"... No. My money, my decision."

"One strawberry milk tea with tapioca, extra large, please!" Light waved at a waitress, before Mello could say anything else.

 _If I want the FBI agent to believe we're a couple, the agent has to want us to be a couple. I can imagine it already, from the FBI's perspective. One couple, sharing one large strawberry milk tea. Cute. Who wouldn't wish for their love to be real?_

"Light… why…" Mello asked, while faking embarrassment.

He then leaned even closer to her, so he almost spoke directly into her ears. "You owe me so much. Do you understand? The waitress will be back with our bubble tea a few minutes, and after that, she'll quite likely leave us alone. Additionally, the only person within hearing range of us is that old man over there who looks like he couldn't hurt a fly and is probably half-deaf, considering he's wearing hearing aids. Can we please, finally, get onto the Kira case?"

 _An old man with hearing aids? Oh? Is Mello really thinking exactly like a idiotic criminal? I never expected him to be so arrogant… though maybe I did_.

"Of course!" Light smiled.

"Oh, and also, make sure to drink a lot of that bubble tea without making it too obvious. Because I won't finish even a quarter of that. I hate strawberries."

 _Light couldn't blame Mello. Obviously, she was playing her cards, and it just happened to disadvantage him._

"Good. But before we start, you owe me a full explanation." And he relaxed back into his chair.

The FBI agent, from the window, must've thought he was kissing her cheeks or something. All for the better.

The moment the bubble tea was served, and the waitress left, Mello looked directly into Light's eyes.

"Explanation. What's up with the date?"

 _I came up with a plan yesterday, but I might've failed to analyze some key factors. There's a risk. What should I do? Should I just lie and tell him that I like him? No. He'll obviously know it's fake. I have no choice. Besides, the chance that Mello will do exactly as I've planned for is 96%, getting higher by the minute._

Light took a deep breath.

"Near's agent is tailing me."

He casually glanced outside the window. "Near's?"

Light slightly narrowed her eyes. "What, you think I'm an idiot?"

"I expected you to notice someone was tailing us, or you, precisely. But, how do you know it's Near's agent? How do you know it has anything to do with Kira, at all?"

 _I was prepared for this question. The round is mine, Mello._

"My dad's task force is cooperating with L. It's clear to see that the person following me isn't from there. Plus, why would anyone order a member to follow their chief's daughter? So, it's safe to assume it's Near's doing. And it's obvious it has something to do with Kira. The agent doesn't look like he's from around here. And he has been following me, the daughter of the chief of the force working under L, his rival. Obviously he hopes to get some kind of information, or at least leverage from me. You never know when interesting things happen."

"What does this have to do with our date?" Mello gritted his teeth, unable to hide his annoyance. Was Light trying to taunt Near, by setting up a date with his nemesis and rival? No, it couldn't be. She couldn't have known. He hadn't told her much about Near, and certainly not enough for her to figure out their relationship. Then why… ?

"It's to indirectly tell Near that I'm just a normal person, and have no clue on what's going on. In other words, I'm telling Near to leave me alone."

"But you _do_ know what's going on. And you're definitely not _normal."_

Light smiled. "Why thanks, I do believe that's the point. Now, you don't think I'm going to give information to someone my dad's task force is sided against, do you?"

"Stop smiling, and look at me." Mello demanded, as his eyes bore into Light's. "Tell me the truth; you're setting this up, because you think you're a suspect. You wanted to appear like an average teen, so you set up a date with me. Am I correct?"

 _Why does Mello have to be so predictable…. he's no fun. But I suppose how is the point where I slowly draw him into my web of lies._

 _Once I tell him, he only has a few options, all I've which I've planned for. I've got Mello in check now, and I'm only steps away from winning._

"And that too. Kinda. But mainly my first point, because I'm team L, okay? It's for my dad. You know how much I look up to him, and he must have chosen to work with L, not with Near, for a reason. And, well yeah, I chose a date with you specifically, because I knew it would be beneficial to the both of us. I mean, I like helping others, you know?"

Mello thought for a moment. "Acceptable."

 _He's fallen for it. Perfect. Mello, I do believe the word, for what you're currently doing right now, is called losing._

"I wouldn't wanna be with anyone else." Light's smile widened.

"I can't imagine you would," he replied.

Light subtly tilted her head, and Mello caught it. He took a sip of the strawberry bubble tea through his straw.

"Do the task force and L trust each other?" He changed the topic.

 _If I tell him "no", then it completely contradicts the "my dad is team L" point I made earlier. If I tell him "yes", it's an obvious lie… This is a test to see if I'll tell you the truth. I expected you to pry on that, Mello._

"They do, but not completely."

"Care to elaborate?"

"I don't know the details," Light replied.

 _He's actually saying everything I expected him to say. Does he really believe that he's seeing through my lies because he's smart? Hah, as if! You will never beat me, Mello._

"You certainly don't know much, hmm?" He raised an eyebrow, daring for her to agree. If you don't know anything, then I'm going to give up on this date act, and expose you.

Light willed herself to keep on a pleasant expression. "L is kind of subject we aren't allowed to know of. But if it's the practical insider details you want to know about the Kira investigation, I can tell you that."

 _Hook._

Mello raised a single eyebrow, looking at her curiously.

"Oh, really now? What kind of "practical insider details" do you mean?"

Light took a sip of the bubble tea, and smiled. "Kira sent L a message a few days ago. Interested?"

 _Line_.

"Hmmm… well, do go on… what was written in the message?" The blond haired boy asked.

 _And.. Sinker._

Mello tried to act casual, gesturing lightly at her. Nice try.

 _So he thought he had the upper hand? Just because he could "expose" me to Near? Wrong. I control the chess board. He's already ensnared in my lies. He's lost his advantage. I have… nothing to lose. Checkmate, Mello._

"Oh, nothing important," Light replied. "Just a random message saying that Shinigami love apples."

"Shinigami?" He asked.

"You know, the mythical god of death."

Mello paused. "Light, is there anything else?"

"Of course. But, my schedule is tight, you know. I need to study for the entrance-"

"Okay, I get it." He sighed.

 _You've been completely tricked and defeated. You should know it, Mello._

"So… " Light trailed off.

"Wait. Remember how I said I bought you a phone?" Mello interrupted.

"Yeah," Light replied.

Right. The phone. Well, that at least was slightly unexpected.

"Here it is, and text me all the details once you have time." He handed her the newest iPhone.

"W-What? I can't take such an expensive gift! Plus, you're the one paying for our bubble tea…" Light exclaimed, pretending to be flustered.

 _Fine, you want me to text you information? Then be it. You aren't gonna get anything valuable out of me. Plus, another phone can come in handy, for Kira's use. And also, you've perfected our date! How convincing is a guy, buying a phone for the girl he likes? Thank you, Mello._

"Please take it, and message me often. I expect to hear from you soon," he said, saying the last part much softer.

She laughed lightly. "Oh, you worry too much. Thanks for the phone then. Expect many texts from me!"

"I will," Mello said jokingly, but in his eyes, Light knew he was serious.

 _Oh… he will. He will receive plenty of information, that will make him veer, ah, off track. And he won't even realize it. Mello really is no fun… I can't wait for L and Near to show up._

"Hey, can I tell you something?" Light couldn't hide her wide smile, as Mello paid the bills.

"Yeah?"

"I enjoyed our date. We should talk more often."

"Agreed." Mello stood up, and carried Light's purse for her.

 _So you think you've won too, huh? If only you knew the truth. Should I enlighten you? But for now…_

"See you next time, Mello!" She said enthusiastically as they got ready to exit the bubble tea place.

Mello leaned down a bit, and whispered into Light's ears. "I know you said this was mainly for both our benefits. But we both know you won this time. I was merely a puppet. And if there's one thing I hate the most, it's being controlled. But I'll bear with it for now, as long as you give me valuable information on text. Do you understand?"

 _Oh wait, possibly the first completely unexpected thing Mello's done all day. I guess I assumed that his subconscious superiority was overruling his logic, but I suppose he finally but that mind of his to work._

 _This does make it more fun, but couldn't Mello have waited a bit? Ugh, Since the FBI agent is Near's, then I'm assuming that "harmless old man" over there, is L's. I suppose it's easily remedied, but it's an unknown factor in my plan, I don't like that_.

Light gave her brightest, most innocent smile. "I know I stole your heart, but I'm not playing with it. I'm serious about us, Mello. I love you, and in response to your question earlier, I say yes!"

 _There, "old man". Are you satisfied yet?_

Until then, Light." He said unflinchingly, as he strolled off into the opposite direction.


	5. Bonus Chapter - L’s Move

* * *

**Bonus Chapter - L's Move**

* * *

"Watari!" L called loudly, waiting impatiently as his sort-of-butler scuttled into the room.

"Yes, Ryuzaki?" The elderly man asked.

"Some more cakes and the latest update please… oh, and can I have an extra scoop of ice cream on the chocolate cake?"

L knew he was demanding, but Watari was definitely used to it by now. And so what if the old man's feelings were slightly hurt? They both knew that justice was more important than either of them. And if justice demanded that L catch a criminal, then L needed his sugar.

Watari bowed. "Very well."

L resumed to staring at the only source of light in his small hotel room, an uncomfortably bright computer screen. He almost didn't notice when Watari returned, a full trolley laden with cakes, other desserts, and a file under his arm.

"The cakes and the report, Ryuzaki."

L first greedily snatched up his fork and plate and started loading slices of cake onto them. After taking a few satisfying bites, he took the report and started to flip through it.

"Near sent it to you, didn't he?"

"Yes, he's been particularly helpful recently. Maybe he intends to join forces with you?"

L scoffed. "Of course not. Near gives nothing away without a price. We must have something that he wants."

Turning another page, the black haired boy's eyes widened, even more than usual.

"Mello's in Japan as well?"

Watari stared at him, confused for a moment, before peering over his shoulder to read the file.

"Oh yes. I actually read about that yesterday when I got the file. And I did some researching today," the old man said.

"That's why you weren't here, I presume."

"Correct, and I actually found some interesting information about Mello."

L loudly chewed on his cake, thoughtfully staring into the darkness. "Go on."

"He was on a date today."

L almost spit out the cake he was chewing on. "That's completely out of ordinary." He thought for a moment. "Something seems weird, but I can't make any assumptions just yet. Can you describe who he was with for me?"

"A girl about the same age as him. She was quite pretty, and very cheerful too. But all in all, she's seemingly average."

"Impossible. The Mello I knew would never fall for someone so shallow. There is something else behind that, and I know you've found that something. What is it, Watari?"

Watari sighed, as if tired by his charge's genius.

"Nothing gets by you, Ryuzaki. Very well. First of all, she's the daughter of the chief of the Japanese task force. In fact, she's also very academically competent. She and Mello were in a rival position at school. Her name is Light Yagami."

"Okay, so she's pretty and smart, and Mello likes her. Just like that?" L slowly turned around to look at Watari. "I don't think so."

"Second, I eavesdropped into their conversation from a nearby table, wearing hearing aids so I could listen into their conversation. I thought it seemed suspicious too, and even more, because of what Mello said to her at the end."

L stopped eating, his fork halfway to his mouth.

"What did he say?"

"He said; _but we both know you won this time. I was merely a puppet_."

L's dark eyes gleamed as he turned back to face his computer. "And what did she say?"

"She said; _I know I stole your heart, but I'm not playing with it. I'm serious about us_."

L thought for a moment.

 _Interesting. Did Mello really admit that he lost in some love game? First of all, Mello doesn't care much for love. And second, he was admitting that he lost. The mere fact seems almost impossible. Mello doesn't just lose to anyone, even if it's someone special to him. I mean, I would have had a hard time defeating Mello, and that says a lot. He's no pushover, and quite ingenious._

 _And also… could Mello have been referring not about love, but about something else… ?_

 _What if the girl just added that line, to cover up the fact that he admitted they were playing some kind of mind game?_

 _And she's the daughter of the chief. Was it related to Kira?_

 _Is this a coincidence?_

 _How long have they even been going out?_

 _Am I overthinking this?_

 _No. I have to consider all possibilities. I have to do more research on them…_

 _The girl..._

 _Interesting._

L's pale fingers clicked away at his keyboard, creating a link and file that was completely untraceable.

 **Dear Near,**

 **Have you heard of someone named Light Yagami?**

 **-L**

 _Very interesting_


	6. Bonus Chapter - Near’s Move

* * *

**Bonus Chapter - Near's Move**

* * *

Near absentmindedly twirled a strand of his hair, as he thought over his current situation. "Giovanni, please connect me with L."

The tall, blond man stared in surprise for a moment, before nodding in comprehension "As you wish, Near."

The boy stared at Giovanni's figure walking out of the room, before turning back to his play set. He reached for his toy rocket, and flew it around as he continued to think.

Despite the many FBI agents he had been supplied with, none of them gave him leads. They had tailed every single person from L's task force, and their families. But all of them have been cleared from suspicion. Kira was leaving no trails behind.

"Near?" Giovanni's voice interrupted his thoughts. "The intercom and projector system is set up.

He nodded, and pressed the final keys on the computer in front of him. Sure enough, his logo was soon projected onto the large screen. Dialling the private number for L's computer, Near dimly heard the ringing sounds of the call in the background as he settled down to wait.

L picked up almost instantly, in less than a few seconds.

 _He was waiting for me._

The screen that had previously been filled with the letter "N", shifting to include the letter "L" as well.

"L," Near whispered, as he heard static on the other end.

"Near, good morning." L cleared his throat. "Just Ryuzaki is fine. The task force is with me as of currently."

Near narrowed his eyes.

 _L isn't mentioning the task force for nothing. He doesn't care what I refer to him as. He's just reminding me he has the upperhand. Why? Is he convincing me to try to work with him? I'm sure of it._

"Okay," he replied.

"Thank you, Near. Now what did you want to speak with me about? Is it concerning the message I sent you last night?" L's voice was slightly cracked through the intercom.

Near wondered, when was the last time his rival had drank some water? Or eaten some food apart from those horrendous desserts?

"Yes," Near said, "And also the offer you gave me a few weeks ago."

Near could almost hear L's smile on the other side, as the black haired boy replied. "I'll be glad to discuss that with you, but the important thing comes first. Do you, or do you not, know someone named Light Yagami?"

 _Who in the world is that? He must be referring to the name of a Japanese person. He stared at his folder of suspects- whose names were all written in Japanese character. Which one was Light?_

"What suspect number is he?"

From the other side, he could faintly hear a voice yelling. "Excuse me! What do you mean, 'Suspect'?! Ryuzaki, we discussed that issue. And also, Light, my daughter, is a girl!"

So she was the daughter of the head of the task force? Easy. Near flipped through his folder until he reached Profile #29. She was a girl, sure enough. And quite an attractive looking one.

L spoke through the connection again.

"I apologize for the chief. I've asked for him to leave, for the sake of privacy, and so his emotions don't interfere with discussion. It would be much appreciated if you request your agents to do the same"

Near voiced his acceptance, waving his agents out of the room and signalling to them to lock the door behind themselves.

He turned his attention back to L. "You wanted to ask me about Suspect #29?"

"Yeah." There was a pause. "You read my message."

"I did, but what did the message ask about Light Yagami?" Near furrowed his eyebrow.

 _L sent me a message written in Japanese. To taunt me, I suppose._

 _ **"Near, have you ever heard of the Moonlight Death God? -L"**_

It had, absolutely nothing, to do with Light Yagami.

"You sent me a message about a Moonlight Death God. L, get to the point. I already know you're referring to Suspect #29." Near tried to hide his annoyance.

He heard L chuckle softly on the other end. And a clink of a fork being set down on a porcelain plate. "Tell me this first please, Near. Did you even read my message before sending it to your translator?"

"No."

"Then I do believe your translator translated it quite literally without thinking about the meaning of the words. My original message was actually -if translated into English- "have you ever heard of Light Yagami", not "have you ever heard of the Moonlight Death God" which your translator probably told you."

Near remained silent.

L continued. "It is a reasonable assumption, since the Kanji used for Light, in this case, is actually Moon, and Yagami can be translated quite easily into God and Death. However, please have your translator take more caution next time. It would be a hassle to have to communicate in English, when I have grown so fond, of Japanese."

Near despised the smug tone in L's voice. He thought he was better, just because Near had made a mistake? No. Absolutely not. L was a respectable loser. But still a loser.

 _L is assuming I have an actual translator. I don't, but he needs to believe that I do. It would be embarrassing if I didn't. I need to get one as soon as possible, in case if he sends more messages like this one._

 _I guess Google Translate doesn't always work…_

 _And really, 'Hassle to communicate in English?' False. He's fluent in many languages, but his main language just happens to be mine. You're taking small wins, L. But I will take the big one._

Near sighed. He wasn't going to give L the satisfaction of thinking he had won. Even if his rival really hadn't. "Please get to the point, Ryuzaki. I'm aware you're referring to Suspect #29."

"She went on a date with Mello. I'm sure you're aware of it, and don't lie. I know as well as you do, that she stood out."

Near bit his lips. There was no point in denying it. "Yes."

"And I presume I'm not the only one who finds this situation unbelievable," L flatly stated.

Mello and I, we were the top two at Whammy's.

If it weren't for my higher IQ, I would've been completely outshadowed by him. Sure, he lacked less of my logic, but, he was popular. He knew how to talk in order to get what he wanted. A skill I absolutely didn't, and still don't have.

Of course, we both wanted to be like L, an excellent detective

But one day, L visited us. And, he wasn't a man I'd imagined. He was a small boy. The same age as Mello and I.

I started to be annoyed by him, because he thought he was better. I decided to become rivals with L instead, leaving behind my previous rivalry with Mello.

And then, Mello along with Matt, they… disappeared the next day. Headed for Japan, but I don't know the reason.

Someone so stubborn, ambitious, and strong headed? I didn't believe it either.

And now he's on a date? So carefree, even if he knows I'm competing with L?

"Of course not. Knowing his personality, I believe there's a chance Mello also wants to catch Kira. There's a chance he was interrogating Light. Or it could've been just a date. It depends," Near finally said.

"I did a bit of research and apparently she's a top grade student who is applying for To-Oh next year. Additionally she took coding classes for a few years in junior high, before dropping it and taking up tennis."

Near nodded. This conversation was going in the right direction.

"You think she could be Kira, because she could hypothetically access her dad's police files."

"Yes," L replied. "Plus, she knows how to code."

"After only a few lessons? Highly unlikely. But I'll take it for now."

"Also, if Mello will talk to her, much less go on a date with her, we can assume she isn't normal. Your FBI agent reported wrongly. And if you have any additional information, please share it."

Near frowned as he quickly searched up the report on his computer. "I have all her habits and trips within the last few weeks. The time she's at home could potentially match up to the times at which Kira kills. And if she is Kira, then our suspicions that Kira is a student would be proved correct."

L chuckled again. "She's definitely worth investigating. I'll have Watari set up cameras in her room."

"And you don't care about what her father thinks," Near stated.

He never seems to think about others. But, who am I to complain? I'm just the same, and probably worse.

"He doesn't have to know about it. Why do you think I asked you to send all your agents out of the room, and did the same on my side?"

"Have Watari do it today, then. According to the report, she will not be home until 4PM," Near bluntly said.

L's smirk was almost audible on the other side.

"We've finally got a lead, Near. We're one step closer to finding Kira. You said before that you wanted to discuss the offer I gave you? Does that mean you've agreed to do it?"

"Yes... I suppose we're working together now."

Watch out Kira. We're coming for you.


	7. Bonus Chapter - Mello

**Bonus Chapter - L's Move**

* * *

"Can you not lock your room?" Mello sighed, as he crunched his chocolate bar in frustration.

"No," a distinct voice mumbled back.

"Pause the game," Mello warned. "Or else I will kick down the door."

"Sure you will. Mrs. Takaru will kill you," the voice replied.

"I don't care."

"Yeah, because giving her the rent money isn't enough. You're _so_ rich you kinda wanna pay for a new door as well." The voice coughed.

"Sometimes I feel like you talk too much for such a lazy butt," Mello said. "Just open the damn door. It takes less effort than arguing with me."

After a pause, the voice finally spoke again. "True."

Soon, the door swung open, to reveal a person around the same age as Mello.

"Matt," Mello said as he surveyed the room and scrunched up his nose. "It's a mess."

Matt shrugged. "Here's the deal; you go on dates and learn at school and have a social life. And I stay back here, do whatever I want, and help you with the technology."

Mello rolled his eyes. "It doesn't take anything to pick your stuff off the floor once a while."

"Actually," Matt mused, "it does."

"You're unbelievable," Mello said as he gingerly threw away a box of half-eaten pocky sticks. "I'm not your mom."

"Thanks, dad." He laughed. "Anyways, important things first; how was your date with her? Hmm?"

"It was pretty good, actually. I got a lot of stuff accomplished."

"So, you've secured another one?" Matt wiggles his eyebrows.

"I don't mean it that way," he simply replied.

"No romantic feelings? No kissing? Oh, you're so boring." Matt sighed. "I did see a picture of her in the yearbook. She looks cute."

"You know how much I hate her," Mello said. "I would've left for America if it weren't for her."

"Well, you decided to stay because she beat you in a Japanese History Contest. Bruh, you aren't gonna score higher than her when it's her native country." Matt shrugged.

"Well yeah, I decided to go to her school and _you_ know well enough that she can also beat me in Art and Literature. But don't worry, her standings will move down soon enough. I will be first."

"And I still wonder how we, two tourists who planned on going to America, ended up being Japanese citizens." Matt rolled his eyes. "All because you signed up for some stupid local contest. But I'm not saying I mind. Japan has hella _good_ video games."

Mello frowned.

Matt chuckled. "Anyways, you found anything useful during the date?"

"Not really," he grumbled. "But I did give her the phone."

"You realize you're using her, right?" Matt smiled and crossed his arms.

"Not really. I suspect it's vice versa. I think she might be Kira."

"Whoa! Pointing fingers now, are we?" Matt smirked. "I know you don't like her, but don't let your emotions affect your deductions."

"It's totally possible if you think about it! She has access to the Task Force information, and she certainly has the skills required to be Kira." Mello sighed. "I don't know. Or she might just be a dumb girl I've overestimated. Whatever, I'm keeping an open eye on her."

"Well duh, I believe I should get partial credit for modifying her phone," Matt said.

Mello nodded. "You have 75% of it. Thank you for giving me the means."

 _Matt may be lazy, but he's a genius with technology. Hell, he had almost been able to figure out the local area of the person who hacked into L's broadcast._

Matt has taken an ordinary phone, and completely changed it. Now whatever Light did on that phone Mello gave her,  
he would be notified through 2 rings. Matt connected their two phones so that even the most experienced hacker would only find the tiniest trace that linked the two devices.

If Light decided to do anything shady, Mello bet it would be on the phone he gave her; Light's old one wasn't secure enough, and buying a new one would look odd. Plus, even if Light suspected there was something wrong, and started checking the phone- she wouldn't be able to find a thing.

Mello's phone dinged loudly, causing him to stop his web browsing and pick it up.

 _It rang two times. Light must be doing something on the phone._

Pressing the power button and unlocking his phone by typing in his passcode, Mello quickly went onto his home page, entering the app that Matt had made for him as well.

Looking at the list of recent activities made by Light's phone, Mello immediately saw a few new items pop up.

 **4:06 PM: Turned on phone**

 **4:06 PM: Turned brightness down to 2%**

 **4:07 PM: Accessed "Notes" app.**

Clicking on the last tab, he examined what Light had seemingly written on her phone.

 **"Notes" App, 4:07 PM:**

 **Check my room for hidden bugs and cameras. No apples if you don't.**

Frowning, Mello re-read the message.

What is this?

What the heck did Light mean? Do what? And why, in gods name, does it all have to do with apples!?

Hitting his hand with the palm of his hand, Mello sighed, this wasn't really helping yet, but it could possibly be a lead anyways.

He forwarded it to Matt, hoping the tech genius might be able to decode some sort of hidden message.

It's interesting either way, it was worth looking into.


	8. Chapter 5 - Cameras and Bugs (short POV)

*This is a small chunk from Light's perspective from when she gets home and discovers the cameras up to when she writes her message*

Ryuk trailed behind Light as she opened the door to her dark house and called out "I'm home", only to be met with no response.

 _So no one is home? Then, why does it feel like I'm being watched?_

 _Or have am I just being too suspicious? I should relax, if I get too stressed out I might finally snap, and the world would be in danger if I did._

Walking through the kitchen on the way to her bedroom, Light casually picked up a bright red apple, completely unblemished and reflecting the light as she tossed it up into the air before catching it in her palm. Time to use the Death Note again.

Climbing up the stairs, Light made her way up to her room with Ryuk floating above her, longingly staring at the apple in her hand. She smirked at him and took a bite out of it, watching as he pouted in the most hilarious of expressions.

Reaching the door to her bedroom, Light placed a hand on her doorknob, instantly noticing something amiss. Narrowing her eyes, she looked down towards the bottom of the door. The piece of paper was still there… so why?

Quickly Light snatched up the slip of paper that was innocently put between the door frame and the door itself. Making sure not to turn it or change the angle at which she was holding it, she carefully examine the paper. It had been turned.

There was a tiny dot in one of the upper corners that was barely noticeable unless you looked for it closely, and when Light put it in her door every day before she left for school, she made sure to keep the small dot in the top right hand corner.

Someone had entered her room, and they had put the slip of paper back with the dot on the bottom left hand corner.

 _I have to make sure though. I cannot afford to make a mistake about this._

 _I need Ryuk to investigate… but how do I get the message to him if there are cameras watching me?_

Light pulled open her door carefully, and replaced the paper slip once she was inside. Making her way over to her desk, she pulled out her chair and sat down.

Calmly, she took out the phone Mello had given her and opened the note app. Turning off the brightness so that the cameras would hopefully not be able to pick up on the words she was writing, she made sure to hunch over the device with her back as well, eliminating any possibility that the cameras could see her screen. Then, finishing the message, she casually slid the phone into the drawer of her desk, intentionally leaving it on.

Ryuk would be able to see through the drawer and read the message. On the other hand, unless they had for some reason decided to place cameras in her drawers -which was highly unlikely- the people monitoring her wouldn't notice anything amiss.

Turning to the Shinigami behind her, with the pretense of throwing out her apple core, Light glared at Ryuk with a silent message showing in her eyes.

 _Just do it._

Ryuk happily cackled and stuck his head through her desk, looking at the message she had left him.

"Light-o, you want me to check the room for cameras? That sounds like a lot of work!"

When Light didn't respond for a few minutes, Ryuk seemed to realize it.

"Oh, right! You can't talk to me in case there _are_ cameras! I guess I'll do it, but only because I want to be able to eat apples!"

Sighing, the Shinigami started crawling on her ceiling, leaving Light at her desk, deep in thought while pretending to do her math homework and studying.

 _Okay. Ryuk will check if there are cameras in my room._

 _There's a high probability that there are, so I should act under the assumption that someone is watching me and I have to act like a normal student._

 _This should be easy enough. It will be a bit harder than the FBI agent, considering that I normally use the Death Note in my room, but it also gives me a chance to completely prove my innocence. I need to make use of this._

 _Ugh, it's at times like this that I wish there was someone I could trust to help me._

 _It's hard being alone, I'm always stressed and I feel like I'm going to snap under the pressure soon._

 _This game I'm playing is fun, for sure, but it keeps getting more dangerous. I need to take risks, but at the same time stay safe. Have I missed anything these past few days? Did I make any mistakes?_

 _The only thing I can do now is hope I didn't mess up._


	9. Chapter 6 - Playing a Genius (or two)

Light yawned, allowing her head to hit her hand for the first time in hours.

She'd been studying non-stop for a few hours now, and having almost altogether stopped studying for a few weeks now, she was quite unused to it.

 _I almost forgot how boring this work is._

Deciding to head downstairs to start preparing some dinner in case her family came home late, Light stood up and pushed in her chair.

Just as she left her room, the doorbell rang from downstairs. She sighed, at least there was no need to make dinner, though it was annoying to have her family at home watching her every move.

Realizing her thought chain, Light scoffed. She thought having her _family_ watch her every move was annoying? What about the _cameras_? Those were way worse.

Either way. Her family was home, and she was being watched on both fronts. It was time to put her acting skills to use. She had to make sure to seem completely normal, while at the same time keep her family from suspecting anything because they knew her well.

"Welcome home!" she called loudly, running down the stairs to go greet her family.

"Hey Light!" her sister, Sayu, said.

"Hey Sayu! Hey Mom!" Light replied, putting a cheerful edge in her voice.

"Light! Dad's gonna be home for dinner tonight!" Sayu yelled, up to where Light was still standing on the landing between the first and second floor, her face shadowed.

 _Damn it! And specifically on this day too! This is going to make it hard if he starts talking about the Kira case. It can't be a coincidence. Did L put cameras in our house, and then ask my father to come home so that he can watch my reactions? No. My father would never agree to put cameras in my room, which, even though Ryuk hasn't reported to me yet, I'm sure are there._

 _I must assume that this is unrelated for now, and that my father simply took a well needed break from work to spend some time with his family._

"That's great," she responded enthusiastically to Sayu. Turning her attention to her mother, Light asked if she needed any help with dinner.

"I'll be fine dear. You just go to your room and study for now, I know your entrance exams are coming up and I don't want you to get anything less than first place as usual" her mother said.

Light smirked, unseen by her mother and sister. That was the exact reply she had expected, and now she would have some time to get Ryuk to explain the situation to her, and hopefully -no, not hopefully, of course she would- come up with a plan.

"Light-o! You were right! There are cameras and bugs all over the room! I think I've found all of them though, so you'll find a way for me to eat apples?"

 _No Ryuk, your apples are the least of my worries._

Pretending to ignore the shinigami, Light walked right through him and sat down at her desk again, already picking up a ballpoint pen and a piece of paper.

"Oh right! You can't help me with the apple problem right now because someone's watching you! Oh well, it's okay I guess. You probably feel bad, but I forgive you for now. You can help me when we go outside!"

Opening a textbook and starting to copy down the questions, Light internally rolled her eyes.

 _Just get to it, Ryuk._

Thankfully, the Death God seemed to hear her silent plea, and switched the topic.

"Okay! So after I stuck my head through the ceiling a bunch of times, and even looked in a bunch of really dusty corners -man, my allergies started acting up- I found all of the cameras and which way they're pointing. Now, I know my memory is probably far better than that of a puny human, but I'm only going to say this once, so listen closely!"

 _Ryuk, why do you believe yourself so superior to us "puny humans"._

 _No. What am I thinking? Am I really starting to crack? I'm not a "puny" mortal. I'm a god._

 _I need to watch myself more. I've been starting to slip up._

 _7 cameras on my desk._

 _5 next to my bed._

 _10 covering the ceiling._

 _The rest located in odd spaces around the room._

 _They really spared no expense._

 _If I wasn't sure before, I am now. This must have been L or Near._

 _But how to go about it? I need to still kill criminals while not acting suspicious._

 _The one major advantage I have over them is that they don't know how I kill._

 _But I can't just use the notebook in plain sight, they're not idiots either._

 _How am I going to do this?_

"Light! Dinner's ready!"

Light stood up and pushed her chair before she walked out of her room and down the stairs, all the way, lightly biting her bottom lip, deep in thought. It was an annoying habit that she'd picked up a few weeks ago -biting her lip when she was nervous- but it had stuck, and it really wasn't a big problem at the moment. She'd deal with it once she had time. After all, Gods were never nervous.

"So how did the mock exams go?" Her mother asked, as soon as the entire family had been seated around the dining table.

 _Does she even care about me beyond test scores?_

"I got first, as usual" Light replied

Her mother beamed.

"I'm so proud of you, Light! You'll go on to do great things!"

 _I know that._

Her father nodded slightly, yawning as he did so. Seeing the opportunity to change the topic, Light faked a look of concern and scrunched up her eyebrows.

"Dad, you look really tired. Has everything been going alright at work?"

Soichiro Yagami bowed his head, blinking wearily.

"Actually… no. But there's something I haven't told you yet. And I think now is the time to do so."

"Told us what, Dad?"

 _That you're working on the Kira case? Well guess what? Surprise, surprise... I already knew!_

"That I'm one of the investigators in the ongoing Kira case…"

"Wow that's great Dad!"

"...And that the reason I'm so tired is that almost everyone has left the task force, they're scared that Kira will kill them for standing against him"

 _Him._

Internally, Light's eyes gained a crazed gleam and her pupils shrank.

 _L will never catch me. I'm going to_ kill _him! I'll write his name in my Death Note, and watch as he collapses onto the ground, writhing in agony and screaming for forgiveness._

"That's too dangerous, dear. You have to quit the task force."

Her mother was fussing over Soichiro.

 _No. Not_ "Soichiro". _What's happening to me? He's my father, not a stranger. And in a twisted way, L and I are friends. Since when have I started wanting to torture him? Wanting to watch L die pathetically as he begs for my forgiveness._

 _I was right. I'm starting to lose my mind. Maybe I need something that will give me a sense of normalcy._

By now, her sister was also near tears, begging their father to quit the task force. Standing up with her empty plate in hand, Light looked straight at her father, no fakeness in her eyes.

"I'm proud of you Dad. To keep fighting for justice, even when your life is on the line, I want to be like that someday."

Her mother sighed, stopping her fussing over the police chief to mumble to herself for a moment. Quiet, but not quiet enough that Light couldn't hear it.

"You still want to be a detective, Light? When will you give that dream up and just move on. You have a bright future ahead of you, but becoming a detective, I'm sorry but I can't support you in that."

Light turned around so that none of them could see her face. Those three sentences had made her almost completely lose her iron control over herself. Even after all these years, it still hurt every time her family made a reference to her childhood dream.

 _If I was a boy, you'd support me, wouldn't you... Mother?"_

She placed her dishes in the sink, and quickly left the dining room, climbing up the stairs back to her own room. She'd planned to talk longer, but her mother had brought up one of the only things that still truly affected her.

 _It's fine. I'll just take this time to work around the cameras in my room._

 _What do I have? What do I need?_

 _Let's see…_

Duct Tape. Bubble gum. Sunglasses. A lab coat. Headphones. Wires. A broken radio antenna. An amplifier. A converter. A bunch of stickers. The Death Note.

 _Perfect!_

Getting right to work, the brown haired girl quickly wrapped a few wires around her computer. Then, setting it up so that L and Near would hopefully be able to see some parts of what she was doing but not all, she quickly stuck the broken radio antenna, the amplifier, and the converter to the wires using the bubble gum and covered everything in the duct tape followed by a bunch of stickers.

Grinning to herself, Light donned the sunglasses and lab coat. She probably look like a completely crazy high school student now, and that was exactly what she was going for. Taking out her Death Note- which she had already covered with a normal journal cover, she quickly plugged in her headphones to the modified converter.

 _And now, to start off my "experiment"_

Opening her notebook with a flourish and connecting the last few wires, Light put on the headphones and started listening, writing in the notebook as she did.

In her first angle, she made sure that the cameras could pick up on her notebook, scribbling a few random notes in there as she went.

"7:57 PM, Static noises STOP No sign of other life forms STOP Perhaps Bob the Alien is staying hidden? STOP

8:02 PM, Different static noises STOP Bob the Alien's brother has likely joined him in singing the national anthem"

Now Light turned around, keeping the cameras behind her as she wrote down what she was actually hearing through her headphones; the news.

" **A criminal named Podo Masami was recently captured while attempting to murder a family of four. The court will hold his trial next Wednesday, although he is expected to get out of the case with no severe punishments given that he did not succeed in murdering the family. His Lawyer has confirmed with us that due to some connections, Masami will likely be judged innocent"**

Light scowled darkly.

 _I hate when criminals get off scot-free, just because of "connections" or "bribery"_

She scribbled down "Podo Masami" in her Death Note.


End file.
